The First Ecumenical Council

Council of Nicea (325 AD)

The battle for the identity of Christ. Is Jesus the Father? Or was he created?

Austin James
8/3/2020

The Council of Nicea

Over 300 years after Jesus had ascended, the Roman Empire stopped persecuting Christians and trying to eliminate the faith. But with all the private sects of people studying scripture in homes and underground catacombs, there had been a mix of theology and misunderstandings. All of these led to what would be considered ancient denominations but still under one faith. Approximately one decade after Emperor Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, the church had become so divided over doctrine that it threatened peace in the Roman Empire. In order to save his empire from chaos and civil war, Constantine invited 1,800 religious leaders to meet in a town called Nicaea to settle the disputes. Of the ones Constantine invited, there were about 300 bishops with a mix of old and new which were almost all from the East - they were allowed to bring 2 priests and 3 deacons each, so the total number was about 1,500. Some were just recently appointed whereas others had been appointed for many years. Concerned more about church unity than theological truth, Constantine told the church representatives that they needed to come to some sort of agreement on crucial questions that divided them. Constantine claimed that the internal division in the empire was worse than war. 

The Major Issues

The largest issue was the debate between Arius and Athanasius in regards to the bolded line. Arius believed that Jesus did not share God the Father's divine essence and was a creation of God who was raised to divinity and seated on the right hand of God who is the Father. Athanasius, on the other hand, believed that Jesus and the Father were both God. Both preached the other one was a heretic. The room was essentially split into the two camps, with many being between both.

Arius's View

Arius's argued that the Father was the supreme God and maintained that the Son of God was created as an act of the Father's will, and therefore the son was a creature. His argument consisted of verses showing that the son was created and begotten, whereas the Father had never been begotten and is fully eternal. Thus if someone is begotten, then he must be made. Arius pulled from verses like Colossians 1:15 stating he was the firstborn of creation and John 14:28 which says "the father is greater than I". Arius pointed out that the "Father and I are one" meant in purpose as a man and wife become one and we become one with Christ. Claiming Christ was God was also countering the first commandment declaring there is only one God.

Athanasius's View

Athanasius argued that 'begetting the son' is itself is eternal. So the father was always a father and the son was always the son existing eternally together and making up one God. The argument continued to include that because they are co-eternal they must also be co-equal and thus there is no distinction between the father and son as they are equally God in every aspect. Athanasius' main argument came from verses like John 10:30 which they interpreted for themselves: "I and the Father are one", and "God was the Word" in John 1:1. 

At the end of this, the council came to a majority vote where all but 5 members signed because they rejected the idea that the 'same substance' implied Jesus was a separate god. The Nicene Creed was this:

The Nicene Creed I (Statement of Faith)

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, begotten of the Father, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; and suffered, and the third day he rose again and ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come, to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit.
But the Holy Catholic and Apostolic church anathematizes those who say "There was a time when he was not" and "Before he was begotten, he did not exist" and "He was made from that which did not exist." The same goes for those who assert that he is of a different substance or essence from the Father, or that he was created, or can be changed.
- Nicene Creed

The views towards Arius and his followers is that they were from the devil or perhaps the devil himself. Anyone who associated with Arius or read his writings were just as bad.

Arius alone beguiled by the subtlety of the devil, was discovered to be the sole disseminator of this mischief, first among you, and afterwards with unhallowed purposes among others also. Let us therefore embrace that doctrine which the Almighty has presented to us: let us return to our beloved brethren from whom an irreverent servant of the devil has separated us.
-Emperor's Letter

The council then condemned Arius and his followers as a heretic, exiled them, and made it a capital offense to even possess Arius's writings.

First Synod of Tyre

Two years after exile, Arius and his followers wrote a letter to Constantine in attempts to show him the orthodoxy of Arius' position. Constantine, after reading the responses recalls Arius from exile while Athanasius is becoming highly influential and powerful as he was recently elected to be Bishop of Alexandria which is where Arius had originally been a priest before his exile. Athanasius is told to re-admit Arius into the church, but Athanasius refused to comply. Arius and his followers then accused Athanasius of immoral conduct, illegally taxing the people, and even murdering a bishop and using his severed hand in rituals and ceremonies.

After hearing all of the charges and evidence, Constantine orders a group of bishops to have Athanasius tried for these charges. 310 members of the church came counting Athanasius and 48 of his Egyptian bishop friends. The group of bishops found Athanasius to be guilty of the charges and sentenced him to death. In this same meeting, they also restored Arius and his friends into the church.

Athanasius, as an act of preserving his life, went directly to Constantine himself. Constantine, after hearing out Athanasius, decided to clear all charges except one (unspecified) and changed his sentence from death to exile. Arius, who was about 80 years old at this time and sick, died before he could be baptized which would have canceled his ex-communication. 

After Constantine fell gravely ill and was on his deathbed, he was baptized by a priest of Arius just before dying. His empire was divided between his three sons. One of his sons rescinded the exile order and Athanasius returned to Alexandria. But after one year, another council removed Athanasius from office and ordered him into exile once again. 

The 3rd Council of Sirmium

Constantine is baptized by one of Arius' priests and died shortly after. His empire was divided between his three sons. One of his sons rescinded the exile order and Athanasius returned to Alexandria. But after one year, another council removes Athanasius from office and orders him into exile once again. Arius's view that Jesus was a creation and not God became very influential in the Eastern churches while the Western churches still leaned towards Athanasius' position. Constantine's son, Constantius II, was the emperor of the eastern part of the empire and encouraged Arius's followers to reverse the Nicene Creed. Constantius II also exiled bishops who kept to the Nicene Creed and in 355 AD he became the only Emperor of Rome, and subsequently extended the pro-Arius policy to the entire Western providence. 

Another council was held known as the Third Council of Sirmium which stated that 'of the same substance' was unbiblical and that the Father is greater than the Son. 

But since many persons are disturbed by questions concerning what is called in Latin 'substantia' but in Greek 'ousia' that is, to make it understood more exactly as 'coessential' or 'like-in-essence' there ought to be no mention of these at all, no exposition of them in the church, for this reason and for this consideration, that in divine scripture there is nothing written about them and they (scipture) are above men's knowledge and above men's understanding.
-Second Creed of Sirmium